Posts Tagged ‘holidays’

My dad used to say holidays are that time of the year when you get thrown together with people whom you don’t really know that well or have much in common with any more. You spend way too much time with them — sometimes long, almost endless days, jammed into a space that’s way too small — and make each other miserable! Ya-hoo! Santa Claus, right? Ha! My dad really wasn’t a humbug; he was just joking about how we sometimes “over expect” when it comes to the holidays and forget the reality of it all.

Hopefully, you’re excited about your upcoming holiday gathering. I know I am. We don’t focus much on the gifts, but we sure enjoy the time together. If you are like a lot of families, there is always one (or more) family member or family friend you would rather not see. Deep down, you’re already dreading this jerk showing up. Don’t we all have the “Uncle Harry” or “Aunt Busybody” who would rather start trouble than anything else? You might be worried that some conflict from the past will come up, or that a long-time disagreement will raise its ugly head. (more…)

Turkey Day! Ahhh. A much needed break that I am looking forward to, especially since I feel like my little family, now expanded by a new granddaughter, has so much to be thankful for. But I recently read an iVillage poll which found that 65 percent of all respondents are expecting some sort of family disagreement to break out before dessert is served on Thanksgiving Day.

And the disagreements aren’t usually about whether to serve pecan or pumpkin pie. For a lot of you, Thanksgiving has become that oh-so-unhappy day during which everyone gathers to carve up a lot more than the turkey. A sister might just happen to mention to another sister that it looks as if she’s gaining weight, and a mother-in-law might say something just slightly sarcastic about her son-in-law’s choice of careers. And then there is always Uncle Harry who drinks more than he eats, and starts flapping his big fat mouth, and tells embarrassing stories about his brother’s first marriage, or at some point, an overly-sensitive niece will break into tears because someone will ask her point-blank if she is EVER going to “catch” a husband! (more…)

So the other day, I heard one more talking-head television commentator announce that Christmas isn’t like it used to be, that the economy is still tough, and that everyone is cutting back, trying to do more with much less. Gee, I said, thanks for pointing that out, because without your clarification, parents across America wouldn’t have noticed.

On reflection, what I really thought was, “Wait a minute. We don’t want to pronounce the Christmas holiday DOA or even seriously wounded because we have less to spend this year. Have we forgotten that this is the time of year when less is supposed to be more?” (more…)